Owing Thatch
by Yujianlong
Summary: Marco is in love and Thatch is helping him. That just can't end up well, right? I mean seriously, he doesn't even know if Ace feels something for Marco. T to be on the safe side. Yaoi, don't like don't read. You know the story, right?


Ace and Thatch were driving him absolutely nuts.

This was the day's summery. And the week's summery. And the last gangway's… Jepp, Marco really loved his job. Though being a flipping babysitter hadn't been included in the job description. But who would have thought that Whitebeard would become so strong and have such a big (and crazy) crew? Not Marco, that's for sure.

He had always believed in his captain, but foreseeing the success and the size the crew would achieve one day would have been a little utopian. Coming back to the problem at hand: It was standing at the bottom of the main mast and looked up at the crow's nest in which Marco had hidden.

The phoenix could literally feel Ace's gaze piercing through the wood and bore a whole in his back. He chose to ignore it. It worked, until he heard Thatch climbing up to get him. He let out a silent sigh. Why? Why was he their babysitter? And why on earth did they like him so much..?

Truth be told, Thatch didn't really care if Marco was hiding or not. It wasn't about what Thatch thought. It was about Marco. It was all about the kid. The forth division commander liked the boy. He was fun to spend time with and had the brightest smile ever. Beside himself of course… And he deserved to be happy almost as much as Marco deserved it.

The first division commander had kept his distance to all his brothers. He loved them all and they were aware of this. But in Thatch's eyes, Marco had always looked a little too lonely. And then the fire fist had appeared and the phoenix smiled a little more often. He let them be foolish kids when they liked to be it, something he had always hated. Marco was going easy on the crew since Ace had appeared on board the Moby Dick. And for Thatch, there was only one explanation for this.

"How long do you plan to avoid us this time?" Ace was patiently waiting on deck. He knew his fellow commanders. They would come down sooner or later. He slid down along the wood and leaned against it to take a nap. Above in the crow's nest Marco grinded his teeth in the attempt to ignore Thatch.

"Oh, come on! It's not like you couldn't get him if you tried…" Marco turned around so quickly that Thatch could hear the bones crack. He smirked. The phoenix never blushed. This was no exception, but Thatch could almost see the red creeping up Marco's cheek. The first division commander took a deep breath and opened his mouth. "So my guess was right?"

Ace woke from his half-sleep by the pained cry from above. "Damn, Marco! Busoushoku against your own brother..!" The fire fist chuckled lightly and closed his eyes again. If the two had only reached this part of their daily fight, he could easily sleep for another ten minutes or so…

In the crow's nest, Marco was mirroring the kid's behavior by leaning against the mast, his eyes closed. Thatch still rubbed his aching shoulder when he spoke again. "After we agreed that you think he's hot, what are you going to do about it?" Marco snarled but beside didn't show any reaction.

Thatch sighed. "Come on… You're boring. I'm not taking the kid along all the time for nothing." Now this forced Marco to show some kind of reaction. He opened one eye. His nakama was grinning broadly and looked at him expectantly. The phoenix shook his head and closed the eye again. Thatch was pouting and already thinking about the next comment.

Before another word had left his lips, Marco sent him flying out of the crow's nest. Busoushoku again, a kick this time. With a blustering bang he landed on the deck, only centimeters beside Ace. The younger pirate jerked at this and looked up. Marco's blue and golden tail hung over the edge of the crow's nest. The fire boy turned his head and looked Thatch.

The forth division commander was just getting back to his feet. "Extremely bad mood today?" Ace asked. Thatch nodded and held his aching head. Muttered curses left his lips while he sat down beside the other. The whole affair seemed to become a little more difficult than the brown haired man had expected.

But Marco wouldn't be who he was if he was easy to get. Thatch knew what he was talking about. It had taken him several _years_ to crack open the shell in which the phoenix was hiding. He closed his eyes and sighed. "Like in some stupid rock-hard egg…" Ace raised an eye at the muttered words. Was Thatch seriously that stupid as to talk of Marco like that, so close to the phoenix?

The fire fist turned his head to his nakama and gave him a questioning look. Thatch opened his eyes and met the younger's gaze. "It's true, after all. He keeps everyone at arm's length to prevent them all from seeing who he really is…" Thatch was almost whispering, well aware that Marco had very good ears when he needed to.

"I don't think he's hard to figure out. He just likes people to think that he is. If you pay a little attention, you quickly see behind the mask." The older commander's jaw dropped. Could it really be that the kid had figured Marco out within only a few months? No. Way! "And what is behind the mask?" He just needed to know… If Ace truly saw the other for what he was, his job would get a lot easier.

"He's loyal and loves us all. He loves Oyaji more than anything. But this also makes him extremely lonely. He doesn't let anyone get close, because he's scared that this could undermine his work as first division commander. Nevertheless, he craves for something. I just haven't figured out what exactly." Ace finished his explanation with a broad grin, leaning back against the mast and closed his eyes again. He was rather pleased with his analysis. Though he seriously didn't like that he wasn't able to solve that last mystery. He was pretty sure that Marco craved love and acceptance from someone, but _who_?

Thatch had to concentrate on his breathing for a while. Ok, that was a lot more and a lot closer to the truth than expected. Ace always managed to surprise him. Regarding the last thing the kid wasn't sure about… It was pathetic! The only thing the fire fist hadn't figured out were Marco's feelings towards him.

So then there was only one thing that he needed to find out. Was Ace feeling the same way? When one of the navigator assistants came running onto the main deck and shouted 'Island' Thatch knew he would find a way. He raised and climbed up to the crow's nest once more.

Once up, cold blue eyes greeted him. Marco's lower body was still a bird one's, talons clicking on the wooden planks with every move. Thatch sat down and looked at his friend. "Like it or not, but the brat has seen through you. Easily. The only thing he hasn't figured is your feeling towards a certain someone."

With a heavy sigh Marco changed back and wrapped his arms around his knees. Leaning his head against the mast he looked at Thatch. "Don't let him find it out, yoi." "Whatever…" Marco jumped at him and pinned him to the ground. The forth division commander looked up at him with a small smile. "This is a very suggestive situation…"

Something in Marco snapped and he bent down, taking butterfly kisses on Thatch's neck. Licking and nibbling upwards he reached the other's ear. The other shivered but shot him evil glances. "You like that..?" Marco's voice was a snarl, nothing like the calm person he usually was. Brutally he bit down on the other man's earlobe.

Neither of them heard the fire fist climb the rag. Only when they heard the surprised gasp, Marco looked up. Ace's head and arms were above the edge of the crow's nest, a dark red blush covering his face. Neither of them moved. Then the kid's grip on the wood loosened and he fell. A loud crack announced that he had arrived at the bottom.

Marco let go of the man lying below him and looked over the edge of the crow's nest. Down on the main deck laid a raven haired man, staring at the sky blankly. Behind the phoenix Thatch began to move. Carefully he reached for his ear. "Jeez, you seriously are sexually frustrated…" The bite had left a small scratch on his earlobe but nothing major.

It wasn't anything sever. And looking at the situation Marco seemed to be in, Thatch wasn't really mad at his fellow commander. It wasn't unusual that a pirate lost his self-control when frustrated by the ever-present sea and the ever lacking presence of women. Being sexually frustrated was daily business for a pirate and Oyaji was always very careful to give his crew enough gangways to release some pressure.

Thatch didn't care about another commander losing control. They knew each other too long for this. Marco never lost his control on anything; therefore Thatch could call himself rather privileged. The bite though, he took personally. "That hurt, stupid..." The murmured words brought Marco's focus back to the crow's nest. Looking back at the other, the phoenix saw the reddened earlobe.

"Oh damn. I'm sorry." He bent over to Thatch and carefully touched the maltreated ear. Thatch looked up at his friend. "You owe me one for this…" Before he could think better of it, Marco nodded. The broad grin that spread on Thatch's face let the phoenix regret his thoughtless action immediately.

Lying down beside Thatch he sighed. "What will I do..?" Gambling depts were depts of honor, after all. Though the phoenix had to admit that he already guessed what he would have to do. When Thatch spoke again, Marco was proven right. He placed an arm over his face and laughed humorlessly. Shit…

Later that day, the Moby Dick landed on the island. And this meant two things for Marco: Gateway, and paying his dept. He sighed. Standing beside Oyaji, Marco watched the crew prepare for the landing. "What's wrong, Marco?" The phoenix looked up to his captain and shrugged.

"Nothing special… Just some dept I have to pay." Whitebeard grinned. He knew his sons and there were only a few who could get Marco to owe them something. Judged by the malicious grin on Thatch's face, he was once again the reason for the first commander's trouble. "You should know by now that Thatch is not easy to fight…"

The blond laughed dryly. "This time was worse. And definitely my own fault." Whitebeards trademark laugh sounded. "Thatch's in a good mood. You're not the only to pay some dept." Marco felt cold fear run down his back. Ace wouldn't be as stupid as to step in one of the traps Thatch, would he? Shaking his head, Marco answered the question himself. Of course he would.

Ace was a clever kid, if he wanted to be. But he fully trusted Thatch, which meant the other commander could let him walk into one of the traps, eyes wide open. Marco sighed. May Davy Jones have mercy on him…

Oyaji had shooed them all off the ship, staying behind himself with some poor souls that had to serve a sentence for one or the other stupid action on board. Marco was the last to leave the ship, shooting one last worried glance over his shoulder. Whitebeard gave him a reassuring grin.

Thatch waited on the beach with Ace. The boy indeed looked a little depressed. Yes, he obviously owed the fourth division commander one. When Marco stepped over to them, Thatch put his arm around the phoenix's waist and dragged him along. The fire fist carefully avoided every look at the two commanders.

He had seen their close relationship more than once. But since the unlucky events earlier that day, he was a little disturbed by their closeness. Had they some kind of relationship that went beyond that of nakamas? And why did this feel so oddly painful?

Thatch led them straight to one of the bars. Ace sighed. He could get away with a lot of booze, but against Marco he was no use; let alone against Thatch. He would have to try and keep his five senses together. Somehow he didn't want Marco to have to take care of Thatch all on his own. Cause there was one thing for sure. The phoenix would not drink himself senseless.

Oh, and of course there was that stupid thing he still owned his nakama. Playing poker against Thatch was like playing against the devil himself. The fourth division commander never lost. Never! Ace couldn't even remember why he had agreed to the game. He seriously should know better than this.

But somehow Thatch had talked him into _one__round;__just__one_. And here he stood now, the need to pay of his dept heavy on his shoulders. He hated his fellow commander for what he asked this time. There should be certain things you didn't ask your nakama to do; especially not when you were part of Whitebeard's crew.

He's got something going with Marco, so why asking me to do such a stupid thing…? Ace followed the other two commanders through the city. Thatch was heading straight for the next bar. May Davy Jones help him; this was going to be a nightmare.

A few hours later, Marco and Ace were carrying a completely sloshed Thatch back to the Moby Dick. "Seriously, he may be good when it comes to Poker. But trying to beat the two of us in a drinking game – when neither of us is taking part – is really stupid." Marco grinned at Ace. The fire fist used his one hand as a torch to light the way and with the other supported the drunken commander. Marco had the other side.

"Seriously. I've got no clue where he was trying to get. But I'm pretty sure he missed the target by miles." Ace's muttered words made Marco chuckle. The fire kid was right. And if they were lucky, Thatch would have forgotten their depts. Or they could try and act as if they had paid them. But that would only work if they knew each other's task. Marco blushed heavily. No way he would tell Ace how he could pay his dept.

The fire fist was faster, and not so concerned about his own task. Signing Marco that he needed a break (or wanted one) he placed Thatch on the ground. They sat down, keeping a little distance to their unconscious nakama. The forth division commander wasn't one to throw up, but you never knew.

Leaning against a tree, Ace looked at the blond. "What do you own Thatch? The two of you seemed pretty comfortable up there." The sly smile had a strange touch that Marco couldn't exactly figure out. Gapping at the younger pirate, he couldn't find one coherent word.

Ace laughed. "Calm down. I'm not gonna tell the others if you don't want me to. It's your decision." The phoenix shook his head slowly, still trying to find his voice. Did Ace really believe that he and Thatch… that…. Oh Davy Jones help him!

"We don't have anything going. If that's what you think." Marco said, looking to the opposite side of the street not really seeing anything. Silently he begged that the boy would be quiet now. He couldn't know that Thatch had actually been much cleverer than he thought possible. The forth division commander had told Ace that he would forget about the dept if he asked Marco about his.

It was basically the best deal the young commander could get. He didn't really understand why Thatch had done this in the first place. But he didn't say 'no' when he had a chance to get out of this easily.

And therefore he was now looking at Marco intensely, repeating his question. The phoenix sighed. "Why do you want to know..?" Ace shrugged. "Need to pay my dept." Ace didn't understand the next words, but he was pretty sure that his nakama cursed Thatch for all he was worth. The fire fist realized that this was not going to be an easy task. And probably the outcome would be as ugly as it normal was when you had to pay a dept for Thatch.

Not quite sure what else he could do, Marco stood up again. "Let's go back. We can't leave that stupid guy lying around here." He would have to pay his dept. There was no way around it. And usually Thatch let you either do something really, really embarrassing and stupid _or_ he let you do something that would help you in the end.

Due to the fact that Thatch hadn't added his usual 'And get it over with in _public_, I tell you', Marco dared to put a little hope on the latter. Maybe he was doing this all to help him. The phoenix knew that eve if this was the original plan, Ace still didn't' feel anything for him. So all those ideas and help and tricks were useless.

They reached the ship without any further interruption (and questions). Shoving Thatch in his cabin and there in his bed, the two sober commanders finally got some peace and quiet. Marco headed for the kitchen, planning to get himself some late night coffee. He was so used to the caffeine that it hardly affected him but it was worth a try.

Beside… Marco and Ace shared a room. And after tonight, the phoenix was sure that he would dream. And he preferred to have at least one solid wall between the two of them when he woke up after such a dream. He walked to his cabin and intended to grab a blanket and disappear again.

Upon turning around, the phoenix found his path blocked by the fire boy. "What are you doing, yoi? Lemme out." Ace shook his head and focused his eyes on the blanket. "Only if you answer me two questions."

Marco knew what he would ask; both questions. But because he didn't want to answer them at all and he tried to win some time (maybe Ace would forget the question or have one of his narcoleptic attacks..?) he just arched an eyebrow at the boy. Ace grinned.

"Just tell me. What do you have to do? Tell me and at least one of us can go to bed." Marco rubbed his temple and sighed. When he looked at the boy the next time, Ace was pouting, meeting his glance with puppy dog eyes. Marco frowned and took a step closer to the slightly smaller pirate.

"Let. Me. Out!" Marco snarled, but Ace didn't seem too impressed. He rolled his eyes but didn't move an inch. "You really want to know?" Ace nodded. "And you're not gonna blame it on me if you don't like my answer?" "Nope." A smirk crossed the phoenix's features, a desperate feeling clinging to his heart.

He stepped a little closer and bent down. Ace looked up at him with a confused expression. "Thatch dared me to go and kiss the person most precious to me." And with this he crossed the remaining distance between them, capturing the younger pirate's lips with his.

Ace tensed, looking at Marco. The blond had his eyes closed, gently moving his lips against Ace's. And then some unknown force let his eyes shut and he started responding to the kiss. Carefully he moved his body closer to the phoenixes, placing a hand at Marco's hips.

Marco broke the kiss, before it could get too intense and looked at Ace with an unsure gaze. Now how should he understand this? "Ace..?" The other commander looked back at him with the unsure look. "Ace. What was that?" The raven-haired shrugged.

"Seriously Marco, I don't know. I just…" Marco just shook his head and shoved the boy out of the way, leaving his cabin. He didn't see Ace collapse on his bed. He didn't see the pale face with the confused expression. He didn't see the pleading look the younger man gave him. Ace just sat there, feeling so incredibly helpless. He needed Thatch, now! But the other commander wouldn't be up before lunch time. What had just happened here?

Thatch found Marco before he went looking for Ace. The first division commander sat in the crow's nest, his blanket wrapped tightly around him. "How was it?" The icy look the other man gave him was answer enough. Thatch sat down beside his friend.

"How comes you don't have a hangover?" Thatch laughed. "Tell me what happened. The sooner you get it over with, the sooner I'll leave you in peace." Marco knew this. But he didn't want to tell his nakama about the events. This was something between him and Ace. Marco also knew that if he tried to solve this all on his own, it would take him forever.

"He paid. And I did too. So we don't own you anything anymore." He never said it would be easy for Thatch, right? Thatch rolled his eyes and smirked. "Did he like it?" The heavy blush on the phoenix's cheeks was priceless. "So he did?"

"He responded." Marco said, staring up at the blue sky. Thatch jumped up and now stared down at him. "He really did?" The other man just nodded. "And..? Jeez, Marco. Give me some details. It was me who got you there, remember?"

Now Marco jumped up and stared the other commander down. "Yes. You got me into that mess. The poor kid didn't even know what was going on. He responded to the kiss, not realizing what this means to me!" His voice was a cold hiss. Not daring to shout at Thatch, though he really wanted to.

Before the phoenix could continue, Thatch jumped out of the crow's nest, scaring the living daylight out of some other crewmember that was unfortunate enough to pass the main mast. Marco bent over the edge of the crow's nest and watched his fellow commander storm downstairs.

Somewhere he was worried about Ace. But he wouldn't hurt the boy. There was a certain chance that the fire fist would be scared for life after this, but that was ok. Might do that reckless bastard good; answering kisses when not understanding what they meant.

Marco's heart hurt at the thought. Ace lips had felt soft and warm against his. The feeling that shot through him when the fire fist had responded to his kiss was beyond anything he had ever felt before. But now he only felt pain. The empty sensation he felt now was beyond the pain he had felt before. The longing got so much worse…

Downstairs Thatch hammered his fists against the door of the first and second division commander. "Go away!" Ace shouted, not moving a finger to open the door. "Ace, open the damn door or I'll kick it down." Grumbling the fire kid got up and walked over to the cabin door, letting Thatch in, locking the door behind him.

"What do you want? Making me play some more poker so I will owe you another one? The last one got me into enough trouble, thanks." Noticing the pained expression, Thatch grabbed the younger commander and pulled him in a tight embrace. "I'm sorry, Ace. I though you feel the same."

Ace struggled against his strong grip, trying to escape. "Ace. Listen to me. Please. Not because I want you to forgive me. It's about Marco…" The struggling stopped; the kid's body became limp. Thatch led him over to the bed and they sat down.

The raven-haired man looked at his fellow commander. He obviously didn't sleep very well the last night. He had dark rings under his eyes, was pale and wouldn't stop trembling. Thatch placed an arm around his shoulders and pulled Ace close.

"The reason I did all this is because Marco _really_ likes you. I mean really, really. I hoped that you might see this if I forced him to kiss you." The forth division commander sighed. "I thought you felt the same… How did it feel anyway?"

"You're seriously asking me this in the same breath you tell me that you think I want to get into Marco's pants?" Thatch laughed. The kid had always been so straightforward. He liked that. Shrugging he nodded and looked at the fire fist expectantly. Ace rolled his eyes in the attempt to hide the sudden blush.

"So you _did_ like it, right?" The grin on Thatch's lips looked like it would split his head in halves soon. Ace preferred not to answer at all. "Come on, Ace. I'm trying to help you here." The fire fist glared at him. "I wouldn't even have the problem without you!" The forth division commander laughed, a little embarrassed. "Listen Ace, I love Marco more than any other of my brothers. And he's lonely. And I can _see_ that you feel something for him. Think about it."

He stood up and made his way to the door. He had just raised his hand to the doorknob when Ace whispered: "Does he really… I mean…" Thatch turned around a broad grin back on his face. "Never been so sure about anything!"

He was already out when he looked back once more. "He's in the crow's nest if you decide to go looking for him." And then he was gone. Ace sat on his bed, staring at the door as if the wood could give him an answer to his question. The second division commander didn't know what to do. He didn't want to rush into something that turned out to be just an illusion. He didn't want to hurt Marco…

Judged by Thatch's words, this was nothing he could go around playing at. Ace was pretty sure that the other commanders (and Oyaji) would kill him within the blink of an eye if he dared to hurt Marco. But he wouldn't. He just had to play with open cards. Not that he could keep something to himself… Especially not when he got nervous. He got up and sighed. "Let's go look for Marco."

Ace stepped out onto the deck. He didn't see Thatch who sat on the railing close to Oyaji's seat. The forth division commander watched the raven-haired pirate walk to the main mast and climb the rigging. He just hoped Marco wouldn't hear him before he could reach the crow's nest.

Marco didn't hear him but he felt him. Sighing he closed his eyes and pretended to be asleep. He heard Ace drop down beside him, felt the heat the other radiated and the overwhelming presence of the other. Concentrating on his breathing he waited.

Ace sat there in silence for a while, waiting. At some point he reached out his hand and touched Marco's cheek with warm fingers. The phoenix just barley managed to suppress a flinch. "Marco… I know that you aren't sleeping." The blond sighed and opened his eyes. He turned his head, Ace's hand still on his cheek, but didn't say a word.

The fire fist smiled. "I know the whole story now. Thatch kind of invaded our cabin and forced me to think about a few things." The phoenix nodded but didn't speak still. "I guess he may be right. About what I feel… But for once I don't want to rush into something that could go so horribly wrong. I mean… Oyaji will rip my head off if I hurt you."

He gave the blond a lopsided smile and shrugged. Marco moved a little, turning around to face Ace. Carefully he placed a hand on the other commander's cheek. He rubbed his thumb over the freckled skin. Ace felt the need to lean over but restrained himself. Quickly he closed his eyes, taking a shuddered breath. "I don't want to hurt you, Marco."

The phoenix stretched a little further and pulled the other man in a soft embrace. "I know you won't." He pressed his lips on the raven black hair. Ace carefully returned the embrace, leaning his head on the other's shoulder. "Oh and Thatch? If you don't go the fuck down again _now_ I'll kick you down. And I swear, Busoushoku will be your smallest problem!"

Ace heard the hurried movement and then a low thud as Thatch landed on deck again. He chuckled and snuggled a little closer to Marco. Who knew how this would continue. But for the moment he just felt comfortable and didn't want to move away. Closing his eyes he sighed. They would find a way; somehow. They were pirates. And pirates always found a way.


End file.
